Lorenzen Wright spent 13 years in the NBA including five with his hometown Memphis Grizzlies. Wright was a Memphis lifer throughout his basketball career but his life was cut short in the same place he called home.
On July 19, 2010, shortly after midnight, Wright called the police for help near a Memphis golf course. On the recording of the call, you can hear nine gunshots getting fired off in the background. The body of the former NBA talent was not found until 10 days later because his location could not be pinpointed by dispatchers at the time of the call.
His body was found and it was so decomposed it was hard to tell exactly how many times he had been shot or how many shooters there were. An autopsy later revealed two shots to the head, two to the chest and one to the right forearm. Shell casings of different caliber guns were found at the scene.
Over seven years after his murder, an arrest has been made. Billy R. Turner was arrested on December 5th and in a strange turn of events, Wright’s wife, Sherra Wright-Robinson, has also been arrested. Turner was a deacon at the church where Wright-Robinson was a former member.
Following comes from Katie Fretland, Yolanda Jones and Marc Perrusquia of The Commercial Appeal.
The ex-wife of slain former NBA player Lorenzen Wright has been arrested in California in his death and charged with conspiracy, first-degree murder and criminal attempt first degree murder, Memphis police Director Michael Rallings said in announcing the charges Saturday.
The attempted murder charge is about a prior attempt to kill Lorenzen Wright, officials confirmed. They said Sherra and Billy Turner previously tried to kill Wright.
Memphis Police Major Darren Goods, of the Multi-Agency Gang Unit, said last May or early June the gang unit received information about the case.
Lorenzen Wright’s ex-wife has been charged with murder in his death following an investigation authorities called Operation Rebound, officials said Saturday in an announcement that came seven years after the former NBA player’s slaying.
Sherra Wright, 46, has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, Memphis police Director Michael Rallings said. Federal marshals arrested her late Friday in California and she was being held in Riverside County.
Authorities said Wright and co-defendant Billy Turner are charged with previously trying to kill Lorenzen Wright.
Outlining the background of the investigation, Memphis police Major Darren Goods, of the Multi-Agency Gang Unit, said in late May or early June last year members of the gang unit said they received information about the Lorenzen Wright case. MPD command staff gave permission to give the case a second look.
“We wanted to investigate it as though it had just happened, so that’s what we did,” Goods said. “We followed the evidence. We actually went to the crime scene and walked in Lorenzen’s final steps.”
In naming the investigation, Goods said that in basketball, a rebound gives you a second chance to score a basket and win.
“We have Lorenzen Wright who was a homegrown young man,” Goods said. “He was raised in this city, he went to high school in this city, he played basketball in this city for the University of Memphis … and he came back to play professional basketball in this city and, unfortunately, Mr. Wright lost his life in this city … This will give us a second chance to bring some closure to this case and give this grieving family some relief.”
Goods said they joined forces with the Collierville Police Department and the FBI on the investigation.
